“Does everything in the world go to sleep?” asks a little girl who doesn’t feel sleepy even though it’s bedtime. “Yes,” reply her parents. Their dog is asleep. Their cat is asleep. Bats sleep in daytime. Whales sleep while swimming in circles. Snails “curl up like cinnamon rolls inside their shell.” Bears are “mighty sleepers.” And tigers, adds the little girl, sleep to stay strong. In Mary Logue’s exquisitely crafted bedtime story, all the creatures mentioned in the girl’s exchange with her parents in the first half of the book are used to describe her settling into sleep as the text unwinds. Eventually, she “snuggled deep as a bear, the deep-sleeping bear, and like the strong tiger, fell fast … asleep.” The narrative is set against whimsical mixed-media illustrations that show soothing and sleep-filled scenes but are also full of surprises. Honor Book, 2013 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 2–5)

A magical bedtime story, honored as a Caldecott Honor Book.

In sincere and imaginative dialogue between a child and her kind and understanding parents, the little girl decides "in a cocoon of sheets, a nest of blankets," she is ready to sleep, warm and strong, just like a tiger.

The lyrical narrative echoes a Runaway Bunny-like cadence: "Does everything in the world go to sleep?" the little girl asks.

Artist Pamela Zagarenski's rich, luminous mixed-media paintings effervesce with charming details that non-yet-sleepy children can examine for hours. A rare gem.